In the end
by Jamie7
Summary: A suspenseful story in which Scully's life is put into jeopardy by someone she knows too well. Mulder must come to her rescue but only at the risk of further endangering her and himslef.
1. Where for art thou Mulder?

Title: In the end  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Spoilers: None  
  
Summary: I don't want to give anything away, so what I've already stated is all you get.  
  
Feedback: I will love you forever. =D  
  
A/N: This story is something that has been lingering in my mind for quite sometime now. I know I'm rather mean at the beginning, but I promise it all turns out ok in the end. **********************************************************************  
  
  
  
CH.1 Where for art thou Mulder?  
  
Scully needs him.someone else is demanding him  
  
  
  
She closed her eyes for what felt like only moments, but when she opened them to find herself weighed down by something she could not identify, for the thick darkness engulfed her, panic shot through her and her mind raced frantically to remember where she was, or what the object on her chest was, she could only remember going to sleep in her own bed. Her breathing was suppressed, and with every desperate intake of air, the object on her chest held great resistance, denying room for inflation, resulting in shallow draws of breath that together with her panic, dulled her consciousness.  
  
It was then she noticed the intense throbbing in her head, as though she had suffered a traumatic blow or was exposed to some sort of immobilzer, whether through inhalation of ingestion, she didn't know. She attempted to lift her hands to remove the object from off of her chest, but discovered her hands were fastened her sides. She was unable to conclude if they were physically tethered to her, or is she was unable to lift them. To find some kind of clarification, she then tried to lift her head but could not. Her lips moved to from the word 'help' but she didn't have the necessary lung capacity to expel the cry. Instead she released rasped whispers. With her eyelids growing heavy and her thoughts more distorted, she succumbed to the unconsciousness that welcomed her with open arms.  
  
She was rudely brought back to her unwanted reality with a hard kick to the ribs. She cracked her eyes to see a blurry face hovering over hers, it's lips moving but she heard nothing but the growing ringing that echoed in her ears. Another blow, to her face this time was delivered, and the blurred face that was becoming clearer was contorted and red with rage, the lips moving fast and the darkness was slowly turning into color. She felt warm blood trickle down her cheek from where she'd been hit.  
  
Her hearing was restored slowly, and the cries of what she determined was a man as her vision cleared became louder as the ringing dimmed. The yells stopped and fear sent a shiver over her as she recognized whom it was who beamed over her. "Where is Mulder?" He demanded. Sweat slid down his chin and fell onto hers and rolled down her neck. "I don't know." She choked out in a voice thick with non-concealable fear and helplessness. She closed her eyes tight and wrinkled her forehead as she saw the fist pull back and screamed as it struck her already gaping cheek, widening the wound with it's impact. "WHERE IS HE?" The voice sounded off again with all the fury and contempt of Antaeus in cocytus, one of the giants in the ninth and final circle of Dante's hell but laced with a spine-chilling assertive tranquility.  
  
Her lips quivered as she debated whether to answer, as her response would most likely result in another blow. Her lungs wanted to hyperventilate, but the object on her chest, which she would soon discover the nature of, prevented it. 


	2. Breathe in, breathe out

CH.2 Breathe in, breathe out. The chapter title says it all.  
  
One week earlier.  
  
Breathe in, breathe out.breathe in, hold it, and open the door. Why was it she was so tense, after being in this situation a thousand times over? You'd think it would be as common of a task as grocery shopping, but it was wearing her down, and he knew it. And while her emotionless visage was his major cue, along with unexpected snaps of her famous scientific influenced wit being a bit colder than usual, it was truly a different story within the depths of Dana Scully. She'd never admit to it, but it was the perfect fuel to keep that much needed fire within her burning.  
  
She, as he, thrived on the suspense and drama of it all. It was this, this moment that made her feel as old and tired as one of the Alzheimer stricken folks down at Mariner's retirement home. But the fact of the matter remained that she always, (begrudgingly of course) followed him down the most outlandish path in pursuit of whatever it was he was determined to unveil that given week, case, whatever, was that she enjoyed it, because it gave her life truth. It was this, the reporting to a higher level than she, which held her fate in its stern grip that wore her down.  
  
She peered down at the lights' reflection on its cold silver bend. As he irritably brushed her aside, the door flew open. They both stared, eyes wide with uncertainty.  
  
"Agents." Skinner nodded and gestures for them to enter.  
  
Mulder looked down to witness her reaction, but she did not exchange glances and walked into the Assistant director's office.  
  
"Kimberly, I asked that you call them up immediately." Skinner beamed at his secretary.  
  
"I told them to go right on in, but they just stood at the door, Sir." She responded defensively.  
  
He nodded, closed the door, and sighed heavily as he settled behind his desk facing the two agents.  
  
"Well, I reviewed the report you turned into me yester-"  
  
"Sir, if I may explain- " Scully interrupted forcefully.  
  
"No Agent Scully, let me explain something to you. How do you expect me to explain myself? You know you're not the only two who have to explain yourselves." His voice lightened at 'explain' in that almost whisper tone that follows his angry one. A relief washed over the two. It was bad enough to be chewed out, but to be chewed out by a really pissed Assistant Director is a different story.  
  
"Sir." Mulder began but then paused, unsure of where to take his argument. "We're sorry?"  
  
Scully flashed him a look. Imbued with annoyance, Skinner furrowed his brow.  
  
"Can you find it in your heart to forgive us?" Mulder asked childishly.  
  
"That's not going to slide this time, if it were only that easy, Mulder." He began dispassionately. "But it's not. This is not about you, or you, or the x-files. This has to do with, with, what the hell were you thinking?! My ass is on the line with yours. I can't just pat your hand and scorn you." Ended VERY passionately.  
  
"You want to 'pat' my hand Sir?"  
  
"Damnitt Mulder! I am not playing with you."  
  
Scully leaned back in her chair and pressed her lips together.  
  
"Agent Scully, would you please explain this to me?" Skinner more demanded rather than asked as he slammed down the case report on his desk.  
  
Breathe in, breathe out.  
  
"Well, I got a call from Agent Mulder on Saturday morning." 


	3. Waffles, dirty clothes and an xfile

CH.3 Waffles, dirty clothes and an x-file  
  
Saturday morning (A week prior to the meeting in Skinner's office)  
  
The warm morning sun that shone through the window illuminated her; its rays danced on her eyelashes and painted her eyes a cool shade of blue as they converged with the words that sent her mind and spirits soaring to a peaceful retreat. The phone rang. It rang again. Finally, on the third ring, she returned to reality. She frowned, set down her book and phlegmatically got up and answered the phone.  
  
She sighed. "Hello?"  
  
"Hey, ummmmm, I didn't wake you, did I?"  
  
"No, I was just reading."  
  
"Oh. So you're busy?"  
  
"I was."  
  
"Well, I have something I want you to see."  
  
"Cut to the chase Mulder."  
  
"I'll be there in ten."  
  
Click.  
  
She pulled the phone away from her ear and looked at it for a second. She raised her eyebrows, blinked, and rested the receiver back in the charger. She stood across from the family room and longingly stared at her book who's cover was bathed by the rays coming in through the window, but decided she'd better make the waffles she'd been thinking about all morning. Whatever Mulder had must be big, big enough to disturb her on a Saturday morning, and as much as she wanted to nestle up on her couch, she figured she should have a balance to her Saturday indulgences, a method to her madness, if you will. Even if she would be pried from her book and dragged off to God-knows-where, she'd at least have a tummy full of home made waffles and a few pages fresh in her mind to maintain day-dreams about for the rest of the day. As she mixed the waffle batter in a bowl, she decided she'd take a bubble bath that night. That would make up for her lost reading time..  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------  
  
He gathered up a pile of dirty clothes so high he had to tilt his head to see in front of him. He didn't tilt good enough. Face down in a pile of an array of stinky socks, underwear and other miscellaneous articles; he groaned and lifted his head to determine the culprit. A tennis shoe. Frustrated, he kicked the shoe and cursed under his breath as he maneuvered himself to his knees and examined his bloody elbow.  
  
He groaned again, and now ,on his feet, violently kicked the heap of clothes into the corner. His eyes moved over to the pile of dishes stacked by the sink. He closed his eyes, regained composure, and went in search of his car keys. Throwing pillows and cushions in every which direction, he paused and wrinkled his forehead in a manner similar to that of a child trying to persuade his parents out of making him going to school by using the cliché 'puppy-dog' look. With his hands on his hips, he examined the apartment helplessly. There, on the kitchen counter next to his cell phone laid his keys.  
  
That makes sense. That makes a lot of sense.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------  
  
Doused in syrup, Scully shoveled a forkful of waffles into her mouth. She breathed in orgasmically, as they do in slim-fast commercials. A very flustered Mulder knocked and entered without waiting for a response.  
  
Noting the look of dismay upon his face, she cocked her head to the side.  
  
"What the hell happened to you?" She asked through a mouthful of waffle that she politely covered with her hand.  
  
"The weirdest thing happened-A tornado must have hit my apartment sometime during the night." He said facetiously as he pulled out a chair and placed a newspaper and case file atop the table.  
  
She motioned her head to the kitchen.  
  
"Awwwwwwww. You made me waffles!" He said cheerfully and retrieved the plate.  
  
"What's all this?" She queried pointing at the stack of papers.  
  
"Check this out!" He excitedly unfolded the paper and pointed out an article whose heading read 'ELVIS: Showing of the King's collection of personal belongings at The Ramshackle of music history.'  
  
She stared at him less than exuberantly.  
  
"C'mon Scully, where's your sense of Rock'n'roll?"  
  
Still staring.  
  
"Turn the paper over. Reports of robberies of several local convenient stores have been made. Yet, there are no physical descriptions of the criminals or witnesses. He vanishes into thin air."  
  
"Yeah, so."  
  
"So", He began and then handed her the file, " This is an x-file in which similar reports are obtained, except, there is a suspect for these crimes."  
  
"Mulder, do you know how high the crime rate of convenient store robberies are? The probability of these crimes being committed by your x-file suspect is, well, not good."  
  
"Ahhhh, but you didn't let me finish. I made a call to the chief in charge of the investigations, and there's something in this x-file that constitutes the suspect of committing these same crimes. Something the paper doesn't mention."  
  
"Yeah, so."  
  
"Scarf down those, very good I might add, waffles." He smiled and stuffed his mouth.  
  
***********Ch.4 coming up soon**********************************  
  
  
  
A/N: Hey! Thank you all who have read and reviewed!! You don't know how much it means to me =) I'm sorry it's only a chapter at a time, but I'm so busy and my time is limited. So please, bare with me, I promise it all turns out ok.in the end.=) 


	4. A beautiful Saturday morning

CH.4 A beautiful Saturday morning  
  
He grew more unnerved with each passing moment as felt her magnified glare burrow into him.  
  
"Damn Scully, I know I'm good-looking, but come on! Those eyes of yours are going to burn a hole in the side of my head!" He joked as he drummed his thumbs on the steering wheel.  
  
"Don't flatter yourself Mulder. I'm just wondering how long it's going to take before you spare me the suspense." She replied as she rested her elbow on the console.  
  
He turned to her excitedly.  
  
"No..Mulder, I just want to know WHY. I don't want to get to where-ever we are going just to hear some absurd theory about aliens."  
  
"Either way, we ARE going to 'where-ever' we are going, right now." He wittingly shot back.  
  
"So..If you're not going to tell me anything, at least tell me where 'where- ever' is."  
  
"We are going to the police station to speak with a Deputy Roberts."  
  
"About?"  
  
"About the case."  
  
"So what exactly is your observed connection between," She paused as she flipped through the x-file, " Micah Drout and these new robberies?"  
  
"His motive."  
  
Scully sarcastically widened her eyes at him to relay her anticipation.  
  
"From each documented crime scene, a bag of blue skittles was reported missing as well."  
  
Her glare hardened. "Was a Slim-Jim reported missing too?"  
  
Mulder laughed. "Lighten up, would you? It's a beautiful Saturday." He gestured with his hand towards the windshield.  
  
"Yeah, I know Mulder. A beautiful Saturday. My day off." Rolling her eyes, she fiddled with her hands anxiously.  
  
"What, do you have something better to be doing?" He pried, in spite of the dangerous grounds he was already dancing on.  
  
" Convenient store robberies Mulder? I don't see how that constitutes calling out FBI agents, wait, let me rephrase, WHY an FBI agent would care. This is a crime Cops should be following."  
  
"Because it's an x-file."  
  
"Elaborate for me then, please."  
  
"Chill Scully, just wait."  
  
"This better be good Mulder."  
  
"How good? Like mint chocolate chip ice-cream good?"  
  
****************************************************** (Revert back to Skinner's office)  
  
"Agent Scully?"  
  
"Yes sir?"  
  
"Why don't you cut to the chase and get this story to WHEREVER it is going?"  
  
She looked over at Mulder who raised his eyebrows and pursed his lips together, then back to a red-faced Skinner.  
  
"Okay, so we get to the police station."  
  
"This is the part where we get to 'where-ever'." Mulder chimed in.  
  
Both Scully and Skinner looked at him in disbelief.  
  
He swallowed hard. "Geez Louise! Is it hot in here, or is it just me?" He joked uncomfortably in response to the glares. "If looks could kill, man, I'd be in trouble."  
  
"Agent Mulder, if looks COULD kill, you wouldn't even be in here right now." Skinner snapped.  
  
Both Mulder and Scully looked at Skinner.  
  
"I'm mighty-a-feared!"  
  
"Mulder! Shut-up!" Scully opened her eyes as wide as they could and cocked her head from side to side.  
  
"Scully?" Skinner calmly queried, suggesting for her to continue. Holding his hand to the side of his face blocking Mulder from his view, he smiled faintly at her. 


	5. Now you see me, now you don't

CH.5 Now you see me, now you don't  
  
Deputy Roberts, a heavy man with rosy cheeks and sweat beads around his hairline, cheerfully greeted the two agents upon their entrance of the police station.  
  
"Agents Mulder and Scully?" He asked as he approached them with his sweaty palm held out in front of him.  
  
Mulder returned his smile as he grasped his hand and exchanged a hearty handshake. "I'm agent Mulder, this is my partner Agent Scully." He informed him.  
  
Deputy Roberts held out his hand to Scully who reluctantly, after noticing the gleaming moisture coating it, shook it. He then turned and began walking towards an office with the blinds shut. Scully wiped her hand on the back of her butt quickly, and followed behind them.  
  
With the door shut behind them, Roberts face took on a serious and disturbed expression. "So, Agents, I understand the bureau had been investigating a man you believe is responsible for these recent crimes?"  
  
"Well, not really. Agent Scully and I are assigned to a more, uh, eclectic section of the bureau, and the man in question is in our files, but he is not currently under investigation."  
  
"Come again?"  
  
Scully uncomfortably moved her eyes around the office and pulled her lips into her mouth, curiously awaiting Mulder's response.  
  
"We work on the x-files, cases that have been dumped and tossed aside due to lack of evidence, or were never pursued by the bureau."  
  
"So what makes you believe you know our man?"  
  
"Do you have any of the convenient store tapes?"  
  
"Well, yeah. But there's nothing on 'em."  
  
"Let's take a look at them anyway."  
  
********************************************************************  
  
Mulder paused the tape. "Do you see this blurriness here?" He pointed at the screen.  
  
"Yeah." Roberts responded.  
  
"We have investigated crimes with similar occurrences."  
  
Roberts squinted his eyes and stared at Mulder questioningly. "Are you saying the robber makes himself invisible somehow?" He laughed jokingly.  
  
Mulder didn't smile or laugh in return.  
  
"You can't be serious." He laughed again. "Do you believe he made himself invisible?" He turned to Scully.  
  
Unsure of how to react, she half-smiled and glanced over at Mulder.  
  
*****************************************************************  
  
Mulder looked over at Scully who hadn't spoken a word since they had left the station.  
  
"Well?"  
  
"Well, you drag me out on a Saturday to go and make an exhibit of our, out of YOUR---"  
  
"Out of my what?"  
  
"Whatever Mulder. People can't just erase themselves from the visual field. It's impossible."  
  
"I didn't want to tell you anything because I knew you wouldn't go with me."  
  
"Where are we going now?" She interrupted as she observed the street signs.  
  
"To the office. I want to show you the x-file."  
  
"Mulder," She paused and revaluated the situation. "There better be something more to it."  
  
"You know me all to well Scully." He smiled.  
  
**********************************************************************  
  
"Robert Patrick Model was capable of forcing his will upon other people, right? So why is it so hard to believe that a man can, as you say, 'erase himself from the visual field'? This is a copy of a convenient store robbery from the x-file." He popped the tape into the vcr.  
  
"You see here, the same gray blurriness in the corner there."  
  
"Yeah, so what makes you believe these crimes are commited by Micah Drout."  
  
"He was connected to each of the robberies somehow. In one case, the clerk was his sister's boyfriend, another case, he had been in the store at an earlier time and returned later, after the crime, and at another, was one of the shoppers in the store at the time of the robbery. I was never able to collect enough evidence to hold him, but a year later arrested for selling stolen items at a pawn shop. This is a tape from the prison that he 'vanished from.' He was in the cell with two other men, and a guard sitting ten feet away at all times." Mulder pointed to the screen. "There's the blurriness again. You see him, now you don't. That was seven years ago. I think he's back in town up to his old tricks." 


End file.
